Last weekend was exciting for two different reasons: 1) Sunday was Easter and I got to see all of my mom’s side of the family and 2) I bought a cake decorating kit. What better way to celebrate than to make some cakes to bring to my Aunt’s house for Easter? And what better cakes to make than these adorable miniature buttercup cakelets? None, I tell you. None.
I am the first to admit that I am a total sucker for kitschy cake pans. The amazing thing about this adventure in culinary cuteness is not the fact that I do indeed own such a thing as a miniature buttercup cakelet pan, but rather that I had to decide between using this pan, a beehive cake pan, and a honeycomb cake pan. A true abundance of springtime-appropriate cakeware. It may or may not have taken me an hour of internal debate to decide. But in the end, buttercup cakelets won out because they presented the greatest opportunity for practicing my nascent cake decorating skills.
I love these little guys because they look like you put hours of work into them when in fact they are quite easy. (OK I totally DID put hours of work into them, but I swear only because it was the first time I used the cake decorating set!).
For the cake I used a basic bundt recipe, adding 1.5 teaspoons of almond extract and 1/3 cup honey. I used a little extra of the dry ingredients (flour, sugar) and a little less of the wet ingredients (milk) to compensate for the change in consistency caused by the honey. I am very happy with the way it turned out, but for a more reliable recipe you may want to try this recipe here from Martha Stewart
Also keep in mind that, if working from a normal bundt recipe, the bake time required is about 1/3 to 1/2 of that for a full-sized cake, so keep an eye on these guys! It also turns out a bundt recipe makes about twice as much batter as you need to fill these cakelets, so when I popped the pan into the oven the molds overflowed (causing my dad to remark “I suppose that’s where the term ‘muffin-top’ comes from”). But once they came out and cooled I just sliced the bottom off, so no harm no foul.
After the cakes cooled and I did some cosmetic surgery on the muffintops I made a simple buttercream frosting, loaded up my pastry bags, and went to town! I also used some candy pearls for some springtime bling bling (spring bling?). For my first time working with the decorating set I am pretty happy with the way they turned out, although if you look closely you can see where my hand shook and the icing got a bit wiggly.
The cakes were a HUGE hit. They look adorable (especially all lined up together!) and the almond taste was enough to make them interesting without being overwhelming. I’ll definitely be using the cakelet pan again soon… maybe with brownies next time? Or pound cake, with fresh whipped cream and strawberries in the center? The possibilities are endless!
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